After almost three years of fund-raising and a year of building work, the church centre in Wiltshire Road, Wokingham, is set to open its doors to local community groups and charities in April.

The Cornerstone Project is part of the church's ‘Celebrating Community' appeal which includes the regeneration of the churchyard and restoration of the eight bells in the church's tower.

To mark the hundreds of hours of hard work put in by everyone involved in the fund-raising and building work at the new centre, the Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Richard Harries, will bless the Cornerstone building on March 25, following a confirmation service at the church.

All Saints' rector, the Rev David Hodgson, said: "It is really exciting that after all the hard work and very generous donations we are finally able to see the Cornerstone centre open in just a few weeks time — everyone is really looking forward to it.

"It will be a facility that all community groups throughout the district can use, and a lot of time, effort and money has been spent on the project.

"Our congregation has done a fantastic job in raising almost £300,000 towards the centre and with the other grants from Wokingham District Council and the National Lottery, we have almost managed to reach our goal of £1.4 million for all three projects in the Celebrating Community appeal."

The two-storey Cornerstone centre, which includes modern kitchen facilities, disabled access, a main hall, three interview rooms and a main conference room, will be officially opened on May 15 by Lady Elizabeth Godsall MBE, the High Steward of Wokingham.

One of the first big community events to be held there will be the Chairman's Spring Reception on Friday, April 2.

The reception is an annual gathering hosted by the chairman of Wokingham District Council to pay tribute to scores of community groups and charities which do good work in the district.

The original annexe of the church was demolished in February last year to make way for the new Cornerstone development, which will house more than 40 community groups including a Friday drop-in club, the 4th Wokingham (All Saints) scouts, the 1st Wescott Rainbow unit, Wokingham Afternoon Townswomen's Guild and the All Saints' Fellowship.

The new Cornerstone building will also be used as a base for the Wokingham Job Support centre, which was previously housed in Wokingham's town hall.

Bracknell and Wokingham College, which has decided to shut its Wokingham campus, Montague House, in the summer, is thought to have made enquiries about the possibility of one of its classes moving to the Cornerstone centre.

A spokesman for the college said it was looking at options to keep some educational facilities in the town, but would not confirm if the Cornerstone development was being considered.

All Saints' Church still needs to raise £140,000 to reach its target of £1.4 million in order to complete the Celebrating Community project.

If you would like to help with fund-raising or your group is interested in holding meetings or events at the Cornerstone centre, call the parish office on (0118) 979 2797 or e-mail parishoffice@allsaintswokingham.org.uk